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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · firm · cold · arm · mark · toast · game · squash

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — wild animals
  4. firm — a company
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. firm — steady
  8. game — a match
  9. mark — a trace
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. firm — decided
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cold — an illness
  19. squash — the sport
  20. toast — bread
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com